Flawless 192kHz sound quality, easy USB connectivity, impressive 10-in/12-out recording capabilities, all offered in a sleek "go anywhere" interface — how could it possibly get cooler than the RME Babyface?! With this blue beauty on your desktop, you're tapped into that raved-about RME sound quality. Just connect the breakout cable to the back of the Babyface and start hooking up your gear. You've got two microphone inputs to tackle your stereo recording projects. And you can use the hi-Z input (in place of one of the mic inputs) when you want to record your guitar or bass directly.

Is it time to record a full band? Just connect your favorite ADAT-equipped piece of gear — say, an 8-channel microphone preamp — and you'll be set for those bigger recording sessions. And with ADAT output, you've got a lot of I/O, considering the Babyface's super-small footprint. Speaking of I/O, the Babyface comes with TotalMix FX mixer/router software that's powered by hardware DSP. You can flexibly route your audio and apply high-end effects, including a 3-band parametric EQ, reverb, and echo. The hardware also calculates RMS and Peak levels for all channels without taxing your CPU at all — very cool.

For a pristine listening experience, RME gave the Babyface's headphone output a separate D/A converter. The headphone output is conveniently available on the unit itself and also on the breakout cable. Finishing off the connectivity, there are four sets of analog outs (2 x XLR, 2 x TRS) as well as MIDI I/O.

To take charge of your Babyface, get your hands on the elegantly simple surface. There are one main knob and two buttons that let you steer your recording projects. With this simple setup, you're in charge of all typical studio tasks: volume control, reference volume store/recall, volume dim, input selection/switching, and input gain control. And the LED bars serve you as both level and gain meters, so you've got a precise indication of everything that's going on with your Babyface.